UNDATED -- Break out the blaze orange gear in your closet.  Minnesota's firearms deer hunting season opens Saturday and hunters who are chasing the whitetail are expected to see more animals this season.

The Minnesota DNR has kept recent deer harvest numbers low to help rebuild the herd statewide. That, coupled with two mild winters means hunters should have good opportunities to bag a deer this season.

The DNR is projecting a harvest of between 165,000 and 185,000 deer, up from 159,000 last season. However, one-deer limits remain in place for most hunting zones.

Deer are the number one hunted species in Minnesota and the economic impact statewide is real. There are nearly 500,000 firearms deer hunters in Minnesota, creating nearly $500,000,000 in overall economic impact when considering retail sales, licenses, taxes, lodging and travel.

Deer hunting supports jobs too. The DNR says there is 5,300 jobs directly supported because of the whitetail season.   Many of those jobs are outside of the metropolitan areas.

The Governor's Deer Hunting Opener is being hosted by Pequot Lakes and Breezy Point this year.

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